Apple Introduces Motion

Revolutionary New Application Redefines Motion Graphics

NAB, LAS VEGAS—April 18, 2004—Apple® today introduced Motion, a revolutionary new application that redefines motion graphics by giving artists the creative freedom and power to deliver stunning professional quality results faster and more intuitively than ever before at a breakthrough price of $299. Motion features interactive animation of text, graphics and video, with instant previewing of multiple filters and particle effects, and introduces “Behaviors” that allow artists to add natural looking movement to type and graphics, such as gravity and wind, without the use of complex keyframes.

“Motion opens the door for everyone to create professional-quality motion graphics by eliminating the need for complex timelines and keyframes," said Rob Schoeben, Apple’s vice president of Applications Marketing. “With its revolutionary technology, breakthrough ease-of-use and low $299 price tag, Motion may do for motion graphics what Final Cut Pro did for non-linear editing—bring the ability to create pro-quality results to the masses.”

Motion’s Behaviors use procedural animation techniques to create natural simulations, such as gravity and wind, or sophisticated interaction between multiple objects, such as attraction and repulsion. Behaviors provide users with the ability to automatically generate simple or sophisticated fluid motion effects with minimal effort and make modifications spontaneously, all without the complexity or overhead of dealing with keyframes. Users familiar with keyframes can use Motion’s Keyframe Editor to plot precise parameter values at specific frames.

Motion also includes an advanced particle engine that enables artists to quickly and easily apply realistic particle presets such as smoke, sparkles and fire to any animation. Using Motion, virtually any graphic element on the screen can be turned into a particle and then modified to create unlimited, customized special effects.

With its breakthrough user interface, Motion gives artists the freedom to spend less time managing windows and palettes and more time creating. Motion’s “Dashboards” give users contextual, semi-transparent floating palettes that provide the tools and slider parameters for objects being animated on screen. Behaviors are applied quickly and easily with a graphical control that appears on the Dashboard, making it easy and interactive to experiment with different animations. Motion also includes 25 “Gestures” that enable users to focus on the creative process, rather than searching for keyboard commands or menu items. With Motion’s Project Pane, users have an easy way to quickly view and manage all layers, filters, Behaviors, masks and objects within a project at once.

Motion offers unprecedented integration with Apple’s suite of professional applications, including Final Cut Pro® HD, the latest version of Apple’s Emmy award-winning editing software; DVD Studio Pro® 3, a professional DVD authoring application; Shake® 3.5, the latest version of Apple’s industry-leading compositing and visual effects software; Soundtrack, the innovative music composition tool; and Logic® Pro 6, the standard in computer-based music production.

Pricing & AvailabilityMotion will be available this summer through the Apple Store® (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $299 (US). Full system requirements and more information on Motion can be found at www.apple.com/motion.

Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings.

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